


300 Words

by giantpanda



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: 300 words, F/M, Stand Alone, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 4,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28261926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: A collection of stories from a prompt list, each chapter is it's own prompt and a 300 word story. The chapter title is the prompt.
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Comments: 100
Kudos: 44





	1. I Can't Sleep Without You Here

**Author's Note:**

> I had found this prompt list on tumblr and when I was stuck on a part with my previous story, I would try to write for these prompts. The title of the chapter is the prompt. Each story is 300 words and they are not connected to each other. I hope you enjoy what helped me finish the other story!!

They had only been together for a few months when Neil was sent to attend a conference for a week. She had known that she would miss him, but she hadn’t expected to have such a hard time sleeping without him beside her. It had been an adjustment when they had first gotten together. She had never been one who liked someone to touch her at night, but as always, things were different with Neil.

The first night, she blamed a difficult day at work and a patient they needed to develop a surgical plan for that wouldn’t end up killing her. The second night she was just too wired from the successful surgery. On the third night, she finally admitted to herself that she missed him.

She reached for her phone and texted him to see if he was awake. She startled when her phone rang.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” She sighed. “I can’t sleep without you here.”

“Neither can I,” he said softly.

She groaned. “What is wrong with us?”

“Nothing.” She could hear his smile. “Claire, we’re allowed to miss each other.”

She was still adapting to their new relationship, learning that it was okay to lean on him and want him by her side always.

“Tell me about your day.” 

She moved to his side of the bed. She listened as he filled her in on the conference. She felt her eyes drifting closed as she pretended he was actually there beside her.

“I’ll be home soon,” he said.

“I can’t wait.” She hesitated a second, before adding, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said. 

She could hear the emotion in his voice, and almost wished she had waited until he was home to tell him. She looked forward to telling him in person.


	2. I'm Not Okay

He kept his hand against her shoulder hoping that he could bring her comfort. He had followed her to the stairwell after their patient’s wife had slapped her across the face. He could make the connection that Claire had been involved with their patient. He should be more annoyed with the fact that she didn’t tell them, but instead he wanted to focus on making sure that she was okay. 

Her body shook with her tears, and he wondered what he had missed. He wondered how long she had been so close to breaking and he had no idea. She was his resident, he was supposed to notice if she was on the brink of disaster.

Her sobs slowly subsided and he wished he had a tissue for her. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her but wasn’t sure where to begin.

“What’s going on?” 

She wiped at her eyes and stood. He stood as well looking at the broken woman in front of him wondering once again how this had happened right in front of him.

“You can talk to me if you need anything,” he said softly.

She wrapped her arms around herself, and then she broke his heart by quietly telling him about her mother dying on the night of her first solo surgery. He was at a loss for what to say and how to comfort her.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. He wanted to ask her why she had kept it a secret, instead he asked, “What can I do?

She took a few shaky breaths. “I don’t know. I’m not okay right now, but I will be. Thank you.”

She wiped at her eyes again and went up the stairs leaving him alone wondering what he could do to help her.


	3. I Never Meant to Hurt You

He stood there silently thinking that he must have misheard her.

“You want a divorce?” he asked finally finding his voice.

She shook her head as she said, “Yes.”

“I don’t understand. Are you unhappy?”

They had been married for over a year. She had never given any indication that something was wrong. 

“No,” she said softly. “I love you.”

“Then explain it to me. What’s going on?” 

He watched as her eyes filled with tears, and all he wanted was to take away every once of pain she felt, even as it felt like she was breaking his heart.

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Then we keep trying.”

“We’ve been trying for almost a year,” she reached for his hand. “I know how much you wanted a family.”

“I have my family,” he argued. “I have you.”

“Neil, I still remember what you said during my first year, how much you want to be a father.”

“I do,” he said softly. “But not without you.” He wiped away the tears from her face. “Claire, you’re the only person that I want that with.”

“I don’t want you to hate me if I can’t give you what you want, what we both want.”

“I could never hate you. I love you and that is never going to change. I meant what I told you at our wedding, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We can figure everything else out together. ”

“I never meant to hurt you,” she said softly, reaching up to wipe away his tears. “All I want is for you to be happy.”

“Being with you makes me happy. Never doubt that.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her close as she started to cry. He knew they would make it together.


	4. This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Both had worked so hard to pretend that they were just friends. They kept a tight reign on their feelings, working overtime to make sure the other didn’t realize how much they cared. He pushed her towards someone else. She pretended that it was something she wanted. Both longed to be with the other, stealing glances when the other wasn’t looking and fantasizing about the life they could have together.

Yet, all it took to shatter all their carefully placed walls was an earthquake. He realized how lucky he was to still be alive. As he watched her run every test imaginable to make sure he was okay, he knew that he didn’t wait to waste another minute lying to her about his feelings. She was shaken by his injury, and as she did everything she could to make sure nothing was seriously wrong, she thought about her regrets if she had lost him. They had already wasted so much time.

The night was long and finally their replacements came and they could leave. He found her waiting outside. She asked him if he wanted a ride home. The car ride was quiet as both worked up the courage to share what they wanted. She made the first move, reaching over for his hand and telling him she was glad he was okay. He took the next move by asking her to come in.

They walked quietly together. Once inside they both moved towards the other, their lips crashing together. They knew they needed to talk about what they were doing, but neither made the move to stop as he slowly led her towards the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes as they went.

This wasn’t supposed to happen, but both were grateful it did.


	5. I Never Meant For It To Go This Far

“You have a problem,” Audrey said.

He sighed feeling as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He was tired of fighting it, tired of pretending that Claire wasn’t more than just a friend.

“I never meant for it to go this far,” he admitted softly. “I just wanted to be there for her when she was going through a tough time.”

She motioned for him to come into her office, not wanting to have this conversation where others could hear them. She waited until they were both sitting down.

“What going on?”

“We’re friends.”

She made a face, “Just friends?”

“That’s all it can be,” he answered. “I don’t favor her.”

“You do,” she sighed. “You’re more likely to listen to her ideas and let her lead.”

“I don’t think that’s because I have,” he cut himself off not ready to admit his feelings, “I don’t think it’s because we’re friends. She has good ideas. Am I supposed to ignore them just because someone thinks I favor her?”

“You need to listen to all their ideas.”

“I do.”

“You just pick hers. How do you think that looks?”

“Like an attending picking the resident who has the brilliant ideas.”

“Or an attending picking the resident he has feelings for.”

“That’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair to Claire, especially if others think she is getting special treatment. You’re going to have to make a choice.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Do you want to be her friend or her attending?”

He didn’t hesitate to answer, “Her friend.”

Audrey shook her head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I have no idea,” he said, hoping that he wasn’t going to ruin everything, but knowing that he would regret if he didn’t keep her in his life.


	6. I'm Never Going to Leave You

He watched her sleeping in the chair beside his bed. The ache in his abdomen let him know that their risky surgery had worked. He had never expected to open his eyes again. He had tried to make peace with dying, but that was just a lie he told them both. How could he be okay leaving her?

He had thought that he could ignore his growing feelings for Claire. Earlier as he struggled to breath, he regretted not telling her. She was braver than him, and told him first, her eyes shining with tears. As he told her he loved her too, she had rested her head against his chest. He tried not to think on all that they missed out on, and instead focus on her. He thought there were worse ways to die than having the woman he loved looking up at him.

But his Claire wasn’t ready to give up and suggested that they try one more thing. He couldn’t fight her. He knew it was his only chance, and that she needed to feel like they did everything they could. He wasn’t sure how long had he had been unconscious, but he knew he felt better than he did before the surgery.

He studied her, he could see the tear tracks on her face, and wished that he was stronger and could take her in his arms. He knew that would have to wait. Recovery was going to take longer than he wanted, but he knew it was worth it.

Ignoring the pain, he reached out to brush his fingers against her hand. “I’m never going to leave you,” he whispered. “I love you.”

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep knowing that he now had the rest of his life with her.


	7. Shh, You're Safe Now

Claire couldn’t stop shaking. She had lied and told the others that she was fine. She didn’t want the rest of them to see how scared she had been. Her patient had been a victim of domestic violence and Claire had been examining her, when her husband had come in with a gun. Pointing it at Claire, he had wanted her to release his wife. His bad aim and Alex coming in, were the only reason she was still alive.

She leaned against the railing trying to steady her breathing. She couldn’t get her hands to stop shaking. She heard the door open behind her, but she didn’t move. She knew who it would be. He hadn’t been in the ER when it happened, but she knew he would find her as soon as he heard.

She felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, her eyes meeting Neil’s worried ones. He didn’t hesitate to pull her into his arms. She knew she shouldn’t crave his comfort, that an attending hugging a resident could start all kinds of trouble and rumors. But they were already pushing the boundaries with their friendship that both pretended wasn’t more.

She didn’t mean to start crying, but the emotions of the day came spilling out. His arms tightened around her and she gave into the comfort of his arms. She had thought about what it would feel like to be held by him but hadn’t expected it would be because of this.

“Shh, you’re safe now,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re okay.” 

He rubbed his hand against her back repeating that she was okay. She wasn’t sure if was trying to convince her or himself that she was fine. As she sunk into his embrace, she almost believed him.


	8. I Can't Remember The Last Time I Was Happy

Claire knew she wasn’t making healthy choices. That she was on the path to destruction, but there was nothing she could do to stop. Every night after shift she found a different bar, drank too much and found something to help numb the pain. She had let her mother back into her life, and thought things would be okay. Instead, her mother wrapped her car around a pole after drinking a bottle of champagne. Breeze had told her that she wanted to be just like her, and then she had died.

She knew she was to blame. It was her fault. She should have emptied that bottle, should have left work earlier somehow, or should have called her mother back sooner. There were so many things that she could have done differently. But as always, she wasn’t enough. Her mother hadn’t truly wanted to fix their tattered relationship.

She looked at the man sitting next to her. She had already forgotten his name, or maybe he had never told her. She finished her drink and he motioned to the bartender to get her another. She hoped that this would be the one that pushed her over the edge so she could stop feeling and stop thinking.

A fresh glass was placed in front of her and she took a large sip. 

She turned to the man next to her, “I can’t remember the last time I was happy,” she admitted, her words slurring slightly.

He grinned telling her he would be the one to make her feel happy again. She knew it was another lie, yet she let him take her hand anyway. She finished her drink and followed him home. She knew it was a mistake, but she went anyway. Maybe this would be the night things would change.


	9. I Can't Remember The Last Time I Was This Happy

“I think I’m in love with my boss,” she told her therapist, giving voice to the feelings she had been ignoring for weeks.

“What makes you think that?”

Claire struggled to find the words. She didn’t know how to share the way being around Neil made her feel. It had started as someone to be there for her as she dealt with the loss of her mother and the complicated emotions that brought up. But it had slowly evolved into something so much more. He had become her best friend, the person she wanted to be with all the time. Even if she worked beside him all day, she still hoped that they would go for a run or go out to dinner. She craved his company.

Finally, she answered, “I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“He’s my boss,” she said softly. “If I tell him, it will just make things awkward, and maybe ruin our friendship.”

“Is that what you’re afraid of?” her therapist asked. “Losing his friendship?”

She sighed. “I value my friendship with him. I don’t know what I would do if I lost that.”

“You should talk to him. He might feel the same way.”

She thought of his earlier words about how she made him a better person and a better surgeon. She wondered if maybe his feelings for her had changed as well. She thought of him asking her for coffee or drinks.

“And what if he doesn’t?”

“Then you’ll know that too.”

She leaned back against the couch, unsure of what she should do next. She took a deep breath. Maybe he would be worth the risk.

“What should I say?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t making a mistake.


	10. I tried to surprise you, but I spilled your coffee on the way over

After a long surgery, Neil was looking forward to moment to sit down. As he came to his office, he noticed Claire in the lounge. Deciding to see her for a moment, he went in and realized that she was wiping at a stain on her shirt.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“This is what I get for trying to surprise you,” she said rolling her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I tried to surprise you, but I spilled your coffee on the way over.”

He stepped closer to her frowning, “Did you burn yourself?”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t know,” he said shaking his head. “I think I should examine you.”

She stopped rubbing her shirt and looked at him. “Examine me?”

“Make sure you don’t have any burns.” He grinned. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt trying to surprise me.”

She laughed. “You just want to get me naked.”

“Just an added bonus.”

“I thought we agreed not to do anything at work,” she said softly.

“I just want to check that you didn’t burn yourself. What did you think I was talking about?”

“Using your examination to convince me to have sex with you in the on-call room.”

“I know it’s important to you that we keep this professional at work,” he said stepping closer, “I wouldn’t mind if that happened, but I really just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Fine,” she agreed. “Just keep your hands to yourself.”

He glanced around to make sure no one else was around before following her into the room. He would never force her to do something that she wasn’t comfortable with, but he hoped that she wouldn’t be opposed to a quick make out session. He would never pass up a chance to have her in his arms.


	11. Do you want to get out of here?

Neil hated the fundraisers that they had to attend. And since it was a work event, he had to keep his distance from Claire. They had fought their desire for each other for a long as possible, before having to talk to Audrey. They declared their relationship with HR and he was no longer her boss. However, one of the conditions of allowing their relationship was that they could not be anything but professional.

Sometimes, he felt it was easier for Claire. She wasn’t a fan of PDA to begin with, preferring their private life stayed private. He on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to share with the world that he was in love with her. It was even harder tonight as she was wearing a new dress that looked amazing on her. He had to keep fighting the urge to get closer to her so he could see if the fabric was as silky as it looked. 

He watched her as she walked around the room talking to the donors and working to talk up the hospital to raise more money. She would deny it, but he knew her smile alone brought in more than the others could.

Finally, he noticed that she was alone. He slowly walked towards her, keeping an eye on those from the Board.

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked.

“Of course,” she answered. “But can we?”

“I don’t think anyone will notice. It’s over soon anyway.”

“Good,” she gave him a bright smile. “While you look incredible in your tux, I can’t wait to get you out of it.”

“My place or yours?”

“Yours,” she said, “It’s closer.”

“You leave now, and I’ll meet you there.”

He ached to touch her, but knew he needed to be patient.


	12. I Wish You Would Talk To Me

Neil hadn’t seen much of Claire the past few days, and he worried that something was wrong. Finding her in the alone in the lounge, he knew it was his chance to talk to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

“I’m fine.”

“I wish you would talk to me,” he sighed. “I know something’s bothering you.”

She put down her pen. “It’s something awkward to talk to you about.”

He moved to sit down across from her. “Try me.”

She made a face. “Fine. I have feelings for someone, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

He felt his heart break. He knew that she had ended things with Dash and had foolishly held out hope that maybe she felt for him what he felt for her. Taking a deep breath, he thought about what he could say to support her. Despite it all, he wanted her to be happy.

“You should tell him,” he said softly.

She shook her head, “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way.”

“Then he’s not the right guy.”

He stood, he knew he had been the one to push her to share what she was feeling, but he wasn’t sure if he could sit there and listen to her share her feelings for someone else. He started to walk towards his office.

“Neil,” she called.

He stopped and turned to look at her, hoping that she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“What?”

She hesitated before she said, “I love you.”

He saw the uncertainty in her eyes as he stepped towards her, overwhelmed as he realized she had been talking about him.

“I love you too.”

Her face lit up as she smiled. He had given her the right advice. He couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.


	13. I Need You To Talk To Me

She sat by the hospital bed watching his vitals. They had tried one more surgery to see if they could save him. His numbers had started to go down, which let them think it had been a success, but he still hadn’t woken up. Her shift had ended a few hours ago, and she had been by his side since. She had tried to pass it off as a concerned friend and coworker, but Dr. Lim had called her out on her feelings. While she had told Neil she loved him, she wasn’t ready to share that with anyone else, although she did admit that she cared about him. Dr. Lim didn’t seem surprised and told her to just be careful.

Claire reached out and took his hand. She thought of the way it felt earlier when he had caressed her face as if he were memorizing her. She hoped that wasn’t the last time she would see him open his eyes. She ran her fingers against the back of his hand. She thought of all the time they had spent together.

“I meant it when I said I love you,” she said softly. “I have for a long time, I just didn’t want to admit it.” Looking down, she took a shaky breath. “I’m not going to be okay if I lose you. I need you to talk to me. I need you to laugh with me. I just need you.”

His hand tightened around hers. “I need you too.”

Her eyes went to his, relieved to see that he was awake. She knew she should go tell the others, but she didn’t want to leave him. Instead, she leaned forward and hugged him. She was so grateful that they would now have a chance for a future together.


	14. Please Don't Do This

They had given up on him. His numbers had shown improvement, but he still hadn’t woken up. They feared that the damage was too great and that they had been too late to save him. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye. She would never be ready.

She looked between Dr. Lim and Dr. Glassman, wondering which one of them she needed to convince. She took a deep breath, she couldn’t let them think that her feelings for him were clouding her judgement. It had only been two days since the surgery. Neil would never give up on any of them.

“Please don’t do this,” she asked, standing by his bedside. “We can’t give up on him.”

Dr. Glassman looked at her sadly. “We’re not giving up. We’re being realistic. The longer he’s unconscious the greater the risk for long term damage. You know he wouldn’t want this.”

“He’d want to know that his friends gave him a chance,” Claire argued. “He’d want to know that we would fight for him just like he would for any of us.” She wiped away a few tears as she tried to steady herself. “He never gave up when Shaun was sick, none of us did. Why doesn’t Neil deserve the same?”

Dr. Lim reached out and took her hand. “You’re right. He does.”

Claire felt weak with relief. She knew the battle wasn’t over. She needed him to open his eyes and prove to all of them that they were wrong not to believe that he would be okay.

“Thank you.”

“Two more days,” Dr. Glassman said, “Then we will reevaluate his condition.”

She watched as the two of them left. She took her spot in the chair beside his bed and reached for his hand.

“Please wake up. I love you, Neil.”


	15. I Wish I Had Met You Sooner

Laying in bed with the sheets draped across their bodies, Claire gently ran her fingers against his tattoo. They had waited until after she had finished her residency to finally give into their feelings. She felt a sense of contentment with Neil, that she had never had in her life before. She knew that had needed to wait to keep the gossip at the hospital down, but now she knew what she had been missing.

“Sometimes I wish I had met you sooner,” she admitted softly.

He turned on his side to face her, his hand coming up to brush her hair off her face. “It wouldn’t have changed anything,” he said, his hand drifting down to her hip. 

“You don’t think so?”

“We weren’t ready for each other then.”

She rolled her eyes. “But now we are?”

“Now, it’s perfect.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “It is.” She sighed. “It’s just you make me really happy.”

He pulled her towards him. “You make me happy too.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Everything happened the way it was supposed to.”

“Are you saying it was fate?” she said, crinkling her nose in distaste.

“Fate, destiny, inevitable, whatever word you want to use.” 

“We could’ve been this happy for longer.”

“Or we could have made each other miserable,” he argued.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Haven’t you learned by now, I’m always right.”

She laughed as she pushed against his chest so she could straddle him.

“I think that’s enough talking.”

He grinned up at her as he placed his hands on her hips so he could flip them over. She laughed in surprise.

“I love you,” he said, “That will never change.”

“I love you too,” she said as she leaned forward to kiss him. And no more words were needed.


	16. You Want To Go Back To My Place

They had gone out for drinks after a difficult shift. She was exhausted but she couldn’t resist when he had asked if she wanted to get drinks. She blamed the exhaustion and the alcohol for lowering her defenses.

“You want to go back to my place?” she asked.

“What?”

She shook her head, “Never mind, forget I said that.”

“No,” he said turning to face her. “Did you mean it?”

“Depends on your answer.”

He studied her, and she wondered if she had just ruined their friendship. Her therapist was the only person who knew she loved him.

“Don’t ask me that unless it’s what you really want,” he said, his eyes darkening with desire as he took her hand.

Taking a shaky breath, she decided to take a risk, she asked again, “Do you want to back to my place?”

He brought his hand up to caress her face, “Are you sure?”

She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the feel of his strong yet gentle hand against her. She leaned forward and rested her hand against his leg. She gave into what she had wanted for far too long and answered him with a kiss. His hand slid around to the back of her neck drawing her closer as they gave into their desire for each other. His other hand found her waist and pulled her off her stool and into his lap.

He stopped kissing her as they both tried to catch their breaths.

Smiling he asked, “Is that a yes?”

“What was the question again?” she asked, overwhelmed by him.

He laughed. “Are you sure you want me to come over?”

She kissed him again. “Very sure.”

Throwing some money on the bar, they stood up. He kept his arm around her as they left.


End file.
